CN plans to start freight service on approximately 75 percent of the rail network operated by bankrupt shortline Kelowna Pacific Railway Ltd. (KPR) in southern British Columbia after reaching trustee, customer and labor agreements that support resumption of operations.

KPR, which leased its network from CN in 1999, entered receivership on July 5, 2013, and halted operations. CN reached mutually satisfactory agreements with the line's trustee to take it out of the bankruptcy process, Tolko Industries Ltd., the main customer on the line and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) and TCRC-Maintenance of Way Employees Division (TCRC-MWED).

Jim Vena, CN executive vice president and chief operating officer, said, "I'm pleased to say that the parties were able to come together to assemble the right business and labor conditions to justify the resumption of rail traffic on the major portion of the KPR, as well as a sizeable capital investment required to protect rail service in the region. We are targeting the resumption of operations as soon as we can ensure the track is brought back to a standard to ensure safe train operations."

CN will resume operations on 97 miles of the network KPR operated running from Campbell Creek, B.C., located approximately 10 miles east of Kamloops, to Vernon, Lumby Junction and Lumby, B.C.